Cigarette making machine

ABSTRACT

A substantially endless tobacco sheet is fed to a rotary shredder thereby forming a flat sheet of parallel strands. The strands are then fed on to the upper surface of a moving horizontal belt which is apertured adjacent to and parallel with one lateral edge and is otherwise nonporous. An air jet is directed horizontally across the belt and the strand stream from one edge of the belt toward the apertured side edge. A suction system including ducts and a porous support for the apertured portion of the belt is arranged to draw air which traverses the strand stream horizontally and transversely thereof, so that the strands are moved to a position on the belt which overlies the apertures under the influence of the transverse airflow thereover, the strands being arranged in a slightly twisted braid during the air-induced lateral movement. A flat cover is placed above the belt and the strand stream in spaced relation thereto. The discharge nozzle from the air jet is aimed to direct the air flowing therefrom between the cover and the moving belt. A guide is placed on the belt-supporting frame adjacent to the apertured side edge of the belt to limit the lateral movement of the strand stream. The braid is advanced to a conventional rod wrapper, and cutter thereby providing finished cigarettes or the like.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Harry'Allison Hooper Larchmont, .LY. [21] Appl, No. 770,945 [22] Filed Oct. 28, 1968 [45] Patented June 29, 1971 [73] Assignee AMF Incorporated [541 CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE 6 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.C1 131/20, 131/23,131/78,131/84,131/145,131/14 [51] 1nt.C1 A2-1b11/00. A24c 5/18 (50] Field of Search 131/8, 14, 20 A, 84, 84 B, 84 C, 140 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 459,118 9/1891 Allison 131/84 1,911,711 5/1933 Norris..... 131/14 1,949,654 3/1934 Norris 131/14 X 1,999,120 4/1935 Werner 131/84 B UX 3,039,473 6/1962 Schubert. 131/84 (C) 3,084,697 4/1963 Eissmann 131/84 X 3,145,716 8/1964 Geitzetal 131/133 3.230.958 1/1966 Dearsley 131/14 X 3,298,378 1/1967 Stevens et a1 13 1/140 (R) 3,402,722 9/1968 Kochalski 131/20 (A) FOREIGN PATENTS 922,105 4/1963 Great Britain Primary Examiner-Joseph S. Reich Attorneys-George W. Price and Eli Weiss, Esq.

l3l/84 (C) moving horizontal belt which is apertured adjacent to and parallel with one lateral edge and is otherwise nonporous. An air jet is directed horizontally across the belt and the strand stream from one edge of the belt toward the apertured side edge. A suction system including ducts and a porous support for the apertured portion of the belt is arranged to draw air which traverses the strand stream horizontally and transverse ly thereof, so that the strands are moved to a position on the belt which overlies the apertures under the influence of the transverse airflow thereover, the strands being arranged in'a slightly twisted braid during the air-induced lateral movement. A flat cover is placed above the belt and the strand stream in spaced relation thereto. The discharge nozzle from the air jet is aimed to direct the air flowing therefrom between the cover and the moving belt. A guide is placed on the belt-supporting frame adjacent to the apertured side edge of the belt to limit the lateral movement of the strand stream. The braid is advanced to a conventional rod wrapper, and cutter thereby providing finished cigarettes or the like.

PATENTEUJUNZSIHH 3,589,373

SHEET 1 OF 2 BRAID FORMING (FEED aosam I TABLE SHEET 2:)

,.SHREDDING UNIT 30 l P FINISHED I FILTER CIGARETTES 16 ROD MAKER l2 FILTER TIP ATTACHMENT 4 MAKER umr 10 HEAD PULLEY HEET FORMING LINE 34 JNVENTOR. HARRY ALLISON HOOPER ATT NEY PATENTED JUNEQIH?! 34589373 sum 2 OF 2 INVENTUR. HARRY ALLHSON HOOPE R 7 AT ORNEY CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINE The present invention relates to a novel method and ap' paratus for making cigarettes and the like.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,895, there is suggested the production of cigarettes and cigars from substantially endless strips of reconstituted tobacco sheet. The present invention has as its prime object the provision of a novel method and apparatus for making an improved cigarette.

As specific objects, the present invention seeks to provide a tobacco braid or the like made directly from reconstituted sheet, having uniform density, increased filling power and suitable pressure drop amongst other attributes of commercially successful cigarettes.

It is another object to provide a method for utilizing reconstituted tobacco sheet as filler for a tobacco braid and the like with minimum apparatus and handling ofthe sheet.

It is a further object to provide a system for making a tobacco braid and the like which combines into a single continuous operation the production of reconstituted tobacco and the production of braid usable in the manufacture various types of cigarettes.

Briefly, the present invention proposes to substitute for the standard out tobacco employed in current cigarette machines, a novel method, and apparatus by which reconstituted tobacco sheet is shredded into substantially continuous narrow strips which are then combined to form a continuous braid and are fed directly to the rod-fonning mechanism of a cigarette making machine. A novel feature of the present invention is the provision of means whereby the narrow strips of a flat shredded reconstituted sheet are moved together under the influence of air currents moving across the surface of a belt and transverse to the motion of the belt and the strips of tobacco to form a braid of tobacco.

Since all aspects of the present invention will be apparent from a description of the apparatus, all aspects of the method and apparatus are incorporated therewith. It is intended, of course, that the following description be illustrative only and not limiting in any respect.

The details of the present invention, its objects and its advantages follow.

In the following description, reference is made to the at tached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus depicting the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 showing a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective schematic view of a reconstituted tobacco sheet feed, shredder and rolling device employed in the present invention a portion thereof being broken away;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of an open cigarette formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

In the following description, reference will be made to various aspects of cigarette manufacture which are well known and do not require repeating here. For example, the manufacture of reconstituted sheet material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,l45,7l6 and Geitz U.S. Pat. No. 3,295,222; current cigarette-making machines are described in Gamberini U.S. Pat. No. 3,059,650 and Lab'be et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,030,965 and the tipping of cigarettes is described in Dearsley U.S. Pat. No, 3,036,581. These patents as well as Dearsley U.S. Pat. No. 3,299,895 are incorporated herein by reference as if more fully set forth.

Turning to FIG. 1, there will be seen a cigarette-making unit to form either a cigarette or cigar rod.

After the rod is formed, it is cut by a knife assembly into discrete pieces and then, if desired, fed to a tipping attachment unit 24 which is also of standard construction. The finished cigarettes are then transported to packing machines for overwrapping, labeling and cartoning.

It has been noted that the making unit 10, here shown, is without the usual tobacco feed mechanism. In its place there is substituted the novel apparatus of the present invention for feeding sheet material, comprising a braid-forming table located immediately preceding the tongue inlet 14 of the cigarette making machine 10. Mounted at the outer end of the braid-forming table is a bobbin feed mechanism 28 for feeding reconstituted tobacco sheet. Interposed between the bobbin feed 28 and the table 26 is a slitting device 30, such as a shearcut disc shredder. As seen in FIG. I, the sheet bobbin may be wider than required for continuous feed and consequently the bobbin may be presplit or cut to provide a plurality of smaller width bobbins which may be successively fed to the slitting device by appropriate mechanisms.

FIG. 2 shows a similar setup of cigarette-making unit and tobacco feed. The same reference numerals, referring to the same or similar parts are used in this figure. In FIG. 2 however two features are different. First, the tobacco sheet is fed to the apparatus directly from sheet-making apparatus 32 which is similar to that described in the aforementioned Geitz patents.

As the sheet is dried and removed over the head pulley 34, it is passed through a plurality of cutting knives 36, to slice from the wide sheet a narrow band 38 of appropriate size. One strip 38 is so fed, as shown, directly to shredding unit 30 for conver' sion into strips for formation into braid on maker 10. The other bands 38 are fed directly to other shredding units and cigarette-making units in assembly. Thus, the second difference lies in the elimination of the bobbin and the winding of sheet. This reduces a number of processing, storage and transportation steps currently standard in the manufacture and use, for other purposes, of sheet material. The width of the sheet material is preferably chosen that, at the speed of operation, its mass per unit length equals the mass per unit length of the cigarette. Since the thickness and unit length are substantially uniform, the determining factor as to mass is therefore its width.

Reference can now be made to FIG. 3 which shows the detail of the braid forming and slitting and bobbin feed device comprises a rectangular elongated table 26 formed of a substantially hollow frame having a top surface 42, a bottom surface 44 and a pair of parallel sides 46. At the front and rear ends of the table there is provided rollers 48 and 50 respectively over which is provided an endless nonporous belt 52. The forward roller 48 is driven by a pulley assembly 54 which is connected to the drive mechanism for the cigarette-making machine so that the belt is driven simultaneously with and at a speed relative to the making unit in the direction indicated by arrow A. The belt 52 is provided with a row of enlarged holes 58 running along an axis parallel to its longitudinal axis and in line with the tongue 14 of the rod-making unit.

The upper surface 42 of the table is made preferably of a wire mesh or open framework portion 40 beneath the holes 58 so as to be substantially porous to air. The lower surface of the frame is provided with an opening which is connected to a source of negative pressure (suction) through duct 56. Upon application of the suction, a vacuum is created within the frame and air is drawn into the frame through its porous upper surface. The belt is normally not porous and therefore air passes through the belt and into the frame only through the holes 58. Mounted along but spaced from the row of holes 58 is a vertical guide rail 60 which flares outwardly away from the holes at its rearward end.

Mounted on the table 26 at the rearward end of the belt 52 is the slitter 30. The slitter comprises a plurality of closely spaced knives 62 mounted about a common shaft 64. The knives are rotated at suitable speeds depending on the speed of the making unit through a pulley assembly 66 which is connected to the main drive of the making unit. The speed of operation of the shredder unit may vary to accommodate different widths or thicknesses of sheet as well as the density of cigarette desired; however, it is preferred that the belt and knives operate at substantially the same speed, that speed being equal to the speed of the making machine.

The knives 62 of the shredder abut against fixed, spaced ledger blades 68 which position is, of course, adjustable to accommodate the thickness of the tobacco sheet so as to cooperate with the knives 62 to shear the sheet into the continuous strips without damage to the tobacco, Above the shredder is located a bobbin feed device comprising an axle '70 on which the bobbin may be supported. The axle 70 may be connected to a power drive to rotate the bobbin thus assisting in the takeoff of the sheet from the bobbin. The bobbin drive if employed is to be driven of course at variable rotational speeds to accommodate decreasing diameter. It is preferable, however, that with most reasonably sized bobbins it not be driven but that the sheet be pulled from the bobbin by the action of the shredding operation. The pull exerted by the knives 62 will normally be sufficient to move the bobbin and have it enter the shredder freely and at the proper speed. This pull exerted by the shredder will adequately drive bobbins up to approximately 22 inches in diameter. Bobbins larger than this may be fed into the shredder by a bobbin drive device that will drive the circumference rather than the axle 70 of the bobbin at the prescribed feed speed (this speed is identical to the rod speed). The drive will follow and maintain contact with the bobbins circumference as its diameter decreases during operation.

The shredder knives are preferably adjustable so that substantially continuous shreds of approximately one thirtysecond to one-eighth inch in width are cut from the sheet. The size may of course vary depending on the ultimate cigarette characteristics desired. Preferably, it is intended that the knives once set for a particular type of sheet would not require any variance.

To complete the device, a small air jet 72 is mounted along the side of the table opposite the vertical guide 60 to blow the shredded tobacco laterally across the belt 52. Also, a flat plate like cover 74 spaced above the belt 52 is mounted on the frame. This cover assists the flow of air (depicted by arrows B) laterally across the surface of the belt into the holes 58. The cover as shown is substantially triangular in shape, however, rectangular covers may be employed. Since its sole function is to act to direct the air from outside the edge of the shredded tobacco inwardly toward the holes 58, it isolates the belt surface from ambient air currents. When the cover is employed, the porous surface of the table is blocked at its rearward end 76 so that suction is not applied to the shredded tobacco until it falls on the belt and is moved beneath the cover. The latter two devices are preferred but may sometimes be omitted if belt speed and vacuum levels are adjusted accordingly.

The holes 58 are aligned axially with the tongue I4 or other receiving point of the cigarette-making unit so that the braid formed on the table is fed directly to the cigarette making unit.

As the shredded tobacco sheet is dropped onto the table belt 52, it moves on the belt unit it comes beneath the cover 74 whereupon it immediately comes under the action of the jet 72 and the vacuum created through the application of suction. The flow of air laterally and transversely of the belt surface as seen by arrows B causes the shreds to progressively travel and come together, cohering along the longitudinal line of the holes 58. The longitudinal guide 60 prevents over travel of the tobacco and also prevents airflow into holes 58 from the wrong direction. A unique feature and consequence of this apparatus is that the substantially endless shreds tend to roll as they move laterally and axially along the belt to form what may appear to be an endless braid twisted somewhat like rope as illustrated in exaggerated form in FIG. 4. By controlling the speed of the belt and the airflow and suction applied along the length of the belt, the twisting may be selected and/r adjusted slightly. The tighter the twisting or helix type of configuration the denser the ultimate product. Furthermore, the helical type As seen in FIG. 4, the tape P compresses the shredded I tobacco braid while wrapping. From this exaggerated view, it will be seen that the finished cigarette comprises a plurality of axially oriented continuous strands having a slight twist or roll.

In the preferred operation of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a bobbin of reconstituted tobacco sheet of approximately 45 inches in width and 20 mils thick is fed into a shear-cut disc shredder 30 that cuts the material into virtually continuous strips one-sixteenth inch wide. The bobbin is placed on a freely rotating shaft upstream of the shredder and approximately 16 inches above the centerline of the shredders discs.

The shredder 30 will actually drive the bobbin by the pulling action exerted by the discs on the sheet as it is cut into strands. Immediately after the bobbin is cut into continuous strands, the strands are fed down onto the surface of the horizontal moving belt 52. The belt is made to run in the same direction at the same linear speed as the cigarette-making unit and causes the strands of the sheet to be gathered or assembled into rod form and aligned on the tongue section centerline. The belt is exhausted to a centrifugal suction blower (not shown) and vacuum is drawn through the line of holes which are a half-inch in diameter on /l;-inch centers. The belt is otherwise smooth and not porous so that there is an unobstructed transverse passage of air developed at the belts surface.

A Plexiglass cover is mounted in a horizontal plane approximately one inch above the surface of the belt. This shield covers virtually all of the functional surface of the table and forces air to enter between it and the belt and move in a horizontal direction beneath the shield and across the surface of the belt.

The tobacco sheet is fed through the shredder approximately 4 inches to one side of the belt holes. The horizontal flow of air moving perpendicular to the axis of the belt causes the strands to sweep across the table to the line of holes resulting in the development of a twist in the strand configuration that makes up the cigarette braid.

The twisted strands are then carried forward along the table as they are held in place by vacuum and fed directly into the tongue section of the conventional maker wherein they are converted to cigarette rod and cigarettes by the usual operations.

Thus, it will be seen that the specific objects as well as numerous others mentioned throughout the specification are met by the present invention and that a novel method and system and cigarette is formed thereby. Since the present invention may be carried out with many modifications and changes to the specific embodiments herein described, it should not be limited by such description but by the following claims.

What I claim is:

l. A method of making cigarettes comprising the steps of supplying a substantially endless band of tobacco sheet material, withdrawing said band from said supply and slitting said band to form a flat sheet of a plurality of substantially continuous strands, feeding said strands in a substantially horizontal direction on to the top surface of a moving nonporous substantially horizontal flat belt having a linear array of holes therethrough parallel to the direction of the belt travel, sucking air over the top surface of said belt from one side toward the other side substantially transversely to the direction of travel of the belt and through said holes to pneumatically move the strand portions upstream of the moving air towards the strand portions downstream of the moving air to form a braid of tobacco strands on the top flat surface of the substantially flat belt and wrapping said braid in an outer wrapper.

2. The method according to claim 1 including the step of supplying said sheet with a mass per unit length substantially equal to the mass per unit length of the finished cigarette.

3, The method according to claim 2 including the step of causing said air to twist said strands as they are being formed into said braid 4. Apparatus for manufacturing smoking articles from a substantially endless strip of tobacco sheet comprising means for linearly feeding said sheet, shredding means for slitting said sheet into a plurality of substantially endless strands, a substantially horizontal endless belt, means for moving said belt in a linear direction, said belt having a plurality of holes therein arranged in a line parallel to said linear direction, suction means drawing air along the upper surface ofsaid belt and through said holes to cause said strands to form a braid along the line of holes, and vertically positioned guide means arranged along one side of said line of holes to prevent air from flowing therein whereby air is permitted to flow only from the opposite side thereof.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 including cover means mounted above and spaced from said belt whereby air is directed substantially transverse and horizontally of said belt between said cover and said belt.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5 including air jet means located at one side of said belt, said air blowing transversely across said belt to assist in the assembling of said strands into a braid. 

1. A method of making cigarettes comprising the steps of supplying a substantially endless band of tobacco sheet material, withdrawing said band from said supply and slitting said band to form a flat sheet of a plurality of substantially continuous strands, feeding said strands in a substantially horizontal direction on to the top surface of a moving nonporous substantially horizontal flat belt having a linear array of holes therethrough parallel to the direction of the belt travel, sucking air over the top surface of said belt from one side toward the other side substantially transversely to the direction of travel of the belt and through said holes to pneumatically move the strand portions upstream of the moving air towards the strand portions downstream of the moving air to form a braid of tobacco strands on the top flat surface of the substantially flat belt and wrapping said braid in an outer wrapper.
 2. The method according to claim 1 including the step of supplying said sheet with a mass per unit length substantially equal to the mass per unit length of the finished cigarette.
 3. The method according to claim 2 including the step of causing said air to twist said strands as they are being formed into said braid.
 4. Apparatus for manufacturing smoking articles from a substantially endless strip of tobacco sheet comprising means for linearly feeding said sheet, shredding means for slitting said sheet into a plurality of substantially endless strands, a substantially horizontal endless belt, means for moving said belt in a linear direction, said belt having a plurality of holes therein arranged in a line parallel to said linear direction, suction means drawing air along the upper surface of said belt and through said holes to cause said strands to form a braid along the line of holes, and vertically positioned guide means arranged along one side of said line of holes to prevent air from flowing therein whereby air is permitted to flow only from the opposite side Thereof.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 4 including cover means mounted above and spaced from said belt whereby air is directed substantially transverse and horizontally of said belt between said cover and said belt.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 5 including air jet means located at one side of said belt, said air blowing transversely across said belt to assist in the assembling of said strands into a braid. 